By a large number, Americans today are dissatisfied if not disgusted by the conditions of its politics, society and culture. Certainly not within our lifetimes have three presidential candidates attacked each other as the greatest threats to democracy. And rarely before have politics been driven by small extreme minorities in both parties.
Even where a supermajority of Americans believe that women must have access to abortion and that guns must be subject to greater controls, small minorities prevent effective action on both. And when before have pronouns provoked such incendiary responses?
What can be done to change the vindictive discourse and anger in America today? Here are three actions that could, if responsibly undertaken, save America’s soul.
The first is to de-hyphenate America. While this will be regarded as an intrusion into free speech, consider what this means. No longer will Americans be defined in categories such as Native-American, Irish-American, gay-American, Jewish-American and the whole cacophony in the lexicon.
Red, white or blue, tall or short, native-born or naturalized: We are all Americans. Forget the distinctions. Of course, people can be proud of a variety of backgrounds. But this pride cannot be detrimental to the larger category of being American and perhaps the only legitimate use of a hyphenate is to be un-American.
A corollary is treating everyone with respect, dignity and civility. As a starter, when in the street or public places, why not smile at a fellow citizen and wish he or she a good day? Sadly, that may be regarded as an aggressive or peculiar act. But it’s a start.
Second, this political contradiction must be corrected. How is it possible for a junior member of the House of Representatives, Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), to inflict so much damage on Ukraine by blocking military aid? Similarly, how can a single senator, Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), put national security at risk by denying confirmation for the vast majority of military flag officers?
Of course, there are valid reasons to debate military aid for Ukraine. And senators often have no option other than putting holds on appointments. However, the way this is settled in a democracy is with a vote. If Congress does not believe that Ukraine deserves aid or that there are more important priorities, it should be decided by a vote.
In the House, the rule that a solitary member can call to vacate, i.e., fire the Speaker, is counterproductive. It must be made more practical. In the Senate, even if a supermajority of 60 votes cannot be achieved, a crisis or national security priority should take precedence over any holds.
Third, the perils of manipulated deepfake videos could threaten the political system. As early as 2018, a Belgian political party created a deepfake video of Trump delivering a satirical address on climate change. At the end, it says in Dutch captions: “We all know climate change is fake, just like this video.” Nonetheless, many who saw it could have been convinced it was the former president.
Suppose on Nov. 4, the night before the election, a deepfake video of Donald Trump appears confessing he is indeed guilty of his 88 indictments. The fake Trump admits he purposely inflated his net worth to get lower interest rate loans and had an affair with a porn actress paid off with campaign funds.
The fake Trump also gloats that he unleashed the mobs to attack Congress on Jan. 6 and tried to force the vice president not to accept the electoral vote. Further, he brags about interfering in the Georgia recount and says he can do “whatever the hell” he wants regarding Mar-a-Lago and the classified material.
Were Joe Biden reelected, suppose a deepfake video appears on Jan. 19, the day before the inauguration, where Biden acknowledges he and his family had taken hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes from China and Ukraine exchanging access for money as well as having committed other crimes. What would happen?
For those who dismiss these scenarios, consider that on Oct. 30, 1938, Orson Welles and his Mercury Players broadcast “War of the Worlds” and an invasion from Mars. Despite cautioning that this was a play, hundreds of thousands of radio listeners believed Mars was attacking and panicked.
The only preventive action for deepfakes is for the individuals being falsely portrayed to react immediately on nationwide TV. We must make advance arrangements for this contingency now.
Will de-hyphenation, imposing common sense rules in Congress and preparing for deepfake disaster work? Who knows. But, in their absence, the outcome is not hard to imagine.
Harlan Ullman Ph.D. is a senior advisor at the Atlantic Council and the prime author of the “shock and awe” military doctrine. His 12th book, “The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD: How Massive Attacks of Disruption Became the Looming Existential Danger to a Divided Nation and the World at Large,” is available on Amazon. He can be reached on Twitter @harlankullman.